1. Field of the Invention
The invention in general relates to inspection systems and more particularly to a system which automatically inspects objects such as lenses to determine various defects.
2. Description of Related Art
In the field of optics manufacture a need exists for determining the presence, as well as severity, of defects in optical components such as lenses for eyeglasses, contact lenses and intraocular lenses (IOL), by way of example.
Widely used current inspection techniques include the individual examination of each component by a human operator using a microscope or other magnifying device for defect and quality control. Although defects may be determined using this process, it is tedious and subject to human error. In addition, various defects may not be discernible to the human eye.
To improve the examination process, some manufacturers utilize machine vision technology whereby the examination procedure is done automatically using digital video cameras for image capture and image processing for defect determination. This process is a significant improvement over the human operator method but is still not capable of properly or sufficiently enhancing the entire range of defect types and products.
The present invention not only can identify a greater range of defects in an optical component than previous techniques but is able to accommodate a greater variety of different product types.